Maslin bread recipe

Maslin is a mixed crop of wheat and rye. It's little grown today, but used to be the staple crop of large numbers of peasant farmers a few hundred years ago. Using wholemeal wheat and dark (wholemeal) rye, maslin bread is a high-fibre, wholesome alternative to the classic white loaf. For more on its history, see 'The history of maslin, the original rustic bread' Note: this recipe takes longer to cook than normal tin loaves due to its high water content.

Ingredients

200 g wholemeal wheat flour

100 g dark rye flour

3 g dried active yeast

5 g salt

260 g warm water

7.1 oz wholemeal wheat flour

3.5 oz dark rye flour

0.1 oz dried active yeast

0.2 oz salt

9.2 oz warm water

7.1 oz wholemeal wheat flour

3.5 oz dark rye flour

0.1 oz dried active yeast

0.2 oz salt

9.2 oz warm water

Details

Cuisine: British

Recipe Type: Bread

Difficulty: Easy

Preparation Time: 120 mins

Cooking Time: 40 mins

Serves: 4

Step-by-step

Sift the flours over a large bowl to separate out the bran from the finer white flour.

In a smaller bowl, mix the bran with 130g of warm water. This hydrates the bran so it does not draw water out of the dough when mixed back in.

Add the yeast and salt to the white flour and stir in.

Add the hydrated bran back to the white flour, along with the remaining 130g of water. Mix well (no kneading), then leave to stand for 5-10 minutes.

Prepare a small loaf tin (15 x 9 x 7 cm) by lightly oiling the inside surface. Scrape the wet dough into the loaf tin and level the surface with a spatula.

Leave to rise for 1.5 to 3 hours, depending on room temperature. The dough is ready when it has expanded to the top of the loaf tin. NOTE: Start to preheat oven to Gas Mark 9 / 250°C when the dough has risen half-way from where it started.

Bake at Gas Mark 9 / 250°C for 10 minutes, then turn down to Gas Mark 7 / 220°C for 25-35 more minutes. The loaf is ready when the top is mid-brown, and it sounds light and hollow when tapped on the base. Remove from tin and cool on a wire rack.